In 2000, shortly after his honeymoon, Elon Musk contracted a deadly strain of malaria (Plasmodium falciparum) during trips to Brazil and South Africa.
Misdiagnosed initially as the flu, he lost over 45 pounds, spent days in ICU, and came within hours of death—doctors later said a delay could have been fatal.
Recovery took six months, during which he could barely work.
Elon later joked: "That's my lesson for taking a vacation: Vacation will kill you."
In 2001, a young Elon Musk flew to Moscow hoping to buy cheap refurbished Russian ICBMs for a Mars greenhouse project.
The meetings went badly: prices kept rising, the Russians mocked him as an inexperienced newbie—and one chief designer even spat on his shoes in disgust.
Frustrated on the flight home, Musk decided: "Fine, I'll build my own rockets... cheaper." SpaceX was born.
Fast-forward to 2025: Russia, once dominating ~50% of global commercial launches, now struggles with <5%, while SpaceX handles over half the world's orbital missions.